Persimmons are fast becoming my favourite fruit as not only are they healthy but they double up as a sweet treat too. It was my mum who introduced them to me a year ago and the first time I ever heard the word persimmon used before. To a lot of people they call them sharon fruit but persimmons are slightly different.
In Greek their name means “divine food” or “fruit of the gods.” A delicious autumnal fruit, they are perfect for using in cakes as they add a sweetness to a basic sponge and keep it moist and light. Before baking this cake I had the intention of making a gooseberry cake however I left shopping too late on a Sunday and by the time I arrived all of the gooseberries were out of stock. I knew I wanted to try a different fruit to the usual I do that being raspberries & strawberries so when I saw the persimmons I thought I would experiment with them.

This cake is adapted from the raspberry layered cake I made previously and I decided to make a yoghurt icing with only a little sugar rather than a buttercream filling which makes it a healthier and lighter cake. I loved the raspberry cake last time as the texture of the cake is beautifully light and with this new recipe it worked just as well if not better, I like to think, with the persimmons and yoghurt icing.

A few tips when making this cake are that Persimmons can discolour quickly so if wanting to decorate a cake with them make sure to sprinkle a little lemon over them. Another tip is make sure which persimmons you buy, Hachiya persimmons will leave a bitter taste in your mouth if not ripe whereas Fuyu persimmons are more fruity and flavousome. This recipe uses Fuyy persimmons for their sweet delicious flavour.

Ingredients

For the cake
• 2 persimmons
• 200g caster sugar
• 200g softened butter
• 4 medium eggs
• 200g self-raising flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp cinanmon
• 1tsp vanilla essense

For the filling
• 250g Greek natural yoghurt
• 1 tsp vanilla essence
• 50g icing sugar
• 1 persimmon

For the top
Pecans
Honey

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 190c/fan 170c/gas 5. Butter 2 x 20cm sandwich tins and line with some parchment paper. Cut the skin off the persimmons and chop into long pieces. Use a blender to turn the fruit into a puree. In a large bowl, beat together the sugar, flour, butter and eggs until you have a smooth soft mixture. Add the cinnamon, baking powder, vanilla essence and puree and beat again until all combined.

2. Transfer the mixture equally into the two tins, ensuring that the mixture is smooth on top and balanced out. Bake in the oven for 30 mins until the cakes have risen a couple of centimetres above the baking tin and are of a golden colour. Prick the middle of the sponge with as skewer and if it comes out clean they are ready, if there is a little mixture on the skewer leave the cakes in for a further 3 minutes. Take cakes out of the over and place onto a cooling rack.
3. For the filling use a spoon to mix the yoghurt, icing sugar and vanilla essence together and leave in the fridge. Cut the skin off the persimmon and chop into small pieces. When the cake is completely cool spread half the yoghurt filling over the bottom cake and place the persimmon pieces on top. Sandwich the two cakes together and decorate top with the remaining yoghurt mixture, a drizzle of honey and pecans to decorate.

Simple, light and delicious, I would highly recommend using persimmons in cake for the delicious sweet flavour they add to the sponge. Persimmons are only in the shops for a limited time so give it a go and see if they truly taste like the ‘fruit of the gods’.